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20 August 2009

Lono calls for municipal auditor general

Councillor at Large candidate Simon Lono says St. John's needs a Municipal Auditor General

St John’s - Councillor at Large candidate Simon Lono says he would work to have a Municipal Auditor General (MAG) appointed for the City of St. Johns.

A municipal auditor general would perform independent reviews of city spending and operations and make recommendations on how to improve the way the city spends taxpayer's money. The office would also help make sure taxpayers know how city council is spending their money.

Lono said, “Our city, the city of St. Johns, is the largest public institution in the province still not subject to scrutiny by an autonomous auditor general. We need a MAG that is outside council control with the power of independent investigation and the mandate to share its findings with the citizens and tax-payers of St. Johns. It would go a long way to improve transparency and accountability at City Hall.”

There is a federal auditor general and a provincial auditor general, but there is no equivalent for the municipal level of government in this province.

Nova Scotia has recently instituted a province-wide system of municipal auditor generals. In Alberta, a bill is before the provincial legislature to create provincially funded offices. Responsible cities across Canada have taken the initiative to create their own office of MAGs , including Toronto.

“The capital city of a vibrant province with a growing economy needs a Municipal Auditor General, “ says Lono. “This is no time for council to be defensive and cling to old ways of operating. In the next 4 years, the St. Johns municipal budget will exceed $200 million a year. If we are a great city, let’s act like one and be open to an independent public sector audit. Let’s make sure that taxpayers get value for money and residents get the best possible service, the service they deserve.“

30 comments:

Anonymous
said...

What a terrific idea. My only worry is that the councillors will start to rely only on aural briefings in order not to leave a paper trail. But seriously, public servants should be accountable and this is a serious and excellent idea. I haven't looked at the website yet, but if there's more of this kind of substantive idea that he has to offer, then he's got my vote. Good for you Simon. Sheryl Simmonds

I think Lono has hit the nail on the head firm and square on this one. He has come across in the past as a bit of a radical and outspoken wing nut. The reality is when struggling with the day to day efforts of getting elected you have to be out there and thinking before you speak takes a lot of second thoughts to do it right. An auditor at city council would help clarify, to the public, not only where our tax dollars are going but as well where they are not. Supporting and improving a better budgetary process and more intelligibility, after the fact. (Call it the truth)Stick to your big gun on this issue Simon, keep your powder dry and keep this big issue alive

Anonymous 1728 called Lono "political in his views." Can you imagine the nerve of calling a card carrying member of a political party who works for the official opposition in the provincial assembly and is running for elected office "political." I am assuming it was meant as a slur. What a bizarre comment. So, who are you going to vote for? A write-in vote for the Jolly Green Giant, or something? At least Anonymous 1241 called him a "radical and outspoken wing nut." Although I don't know how you define radical these days. And both of you should have the guts to sign your name, or to at least use a creative pseudonym.

If I follow your comments correctly you believe that wanting accountability at City Hall for taxpayers of the city, a tight rein on spending and a focus on providing basic, essential services that the city is supposed to deliver is "too partisan.

Maybe what you are really saying is not the right sort of partisan for your tastes. Lono isn't the right colour partisan; not blue enough?

Incidentally, Bernie Davis wouldn't be "too partisan" for claiming there was billions of dollars flowing from tourism.

He'd just be OTL.

Either that or he'd be channeling another prominent politician who is prone to making completely over-the-top exaggerated claims like that.

Simon is a pretty smart guy and would be a capable replacement for most of the councillers down there. He is articulate, and has recognized that spending needs to get under control down there. I think he and Ellsworth could work well on acheiving this goal specifically. It appears to me that Simon has toned down and limited his critiques of Williams (in his blog)which politically in St John's makes sense as his polling numbers in the Capital are pretty high given the oil money and the city's historical conservative election record. As well not mobilizing against you a very capable Tory election machine is a pretty smart move.

So I think he has a better chance than when I voted for him last time. I hope he gets in as we need more smart people with good ideas. Now hopefully the electorate can assist in pushing Doc and Coombs up the steps onto a permanent cruise ship vacation.

whats wrong with being on good terms with ANYONE, especially the deputy mayor of your town? cant people be friendly and still disagree? and why do you want to see a picture of lono and elsworth "arm in arm", guy with no name?

i would LIKE to see people on council who disagree but can still be friendly. it beats andy wells style name-calling and shouting.

So what you are saying is that Lono needs to get more of these blind partisans on side to get elected because according to your analysis only the smart people voted for him last time and that did not get him across the finish line. The "idiots" voted elsewhere. So to get these votes he needed to tone down any perceived partisanship on his side to acheive that goal with this group you have described. Is that correct?

Anyway, I will be voting for him again and I hope that many more do as well...

A tiny minority of the voting population - blindly partisan people whom I called idiots - cannot possibly constitute all voters.

Plus there hasn't been a personal attack at all - unless we count some of the stuff you and your friends have ben engaging in - just a simple description of a particular group of indiviuals who are apprently capable of nothing more than blind partisanship.

Now if you opt to put yourself into that category - as 1745 did - that's your business.

And as I told your colleague 1745, there simply isn't anything anyone can say to persuade you of anything, if you indeed are one of the blind partisans you seem to want to be ('"idiots" as you call us'). You've already made up your mind.

it's like posting anonymously. You could easily take responsibility for your words and use your real name. You simply opt to be a coward and fling crap from the darkness.

Again, there's nothing ad hominem in pointing out the obvious. If you had an argument, a proposition or a position of substance, I could deal with.

Clearly you don't, hence you just offer up nonsense.

Don't be surprised that people are chuckling as you (like 1745) just prove my point.

Keep it up, too. You and your friends do nothing but undermine yourselves.

I didn't think that my candidacy would attract so much commentary but since it has. . . thank you all for your interest.

I hope that some or all these interested and keen observers of the state of the city will be just as interested in some of the hard public policy issues facing the residents of this city. That is what is uppermost on my mind.